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Monday, April 3, 2017

Muscle Building Meals and Snacks for Athletes

Your ability to build muscle depends on a
number of factors (some beyond our control) including genetics and age. As we
age, it can be more difficult to gain and maintain muscle mass due to lower
testosterone levels in males and lower estrogen levels in females. Engaging in
physical activity, particularly strength training, and proper nutrition can
help prevent loses and help you build muscle as well. As an athlete, you may be looking to build
muscle for performance benefits.

A strength training routine must be in
place to provide the stimulus to promote muscle growth. Also important is providing
your body with the proper nutrients to repair and rebuild muscle as well as provide
fuel for workouts. Building muscle requires extra calories to support this
muscle growth. See below for tips on how and when to get the nutrients you
need.

Pre-workout Nutrition – Carbohydrates with
a moderate amount of protein before a workout will provide the fuel you need. The
types of carbohydrates to have before exercise will depend how close to
training you are eating. Avoid anything too high in sugar, fibre or fat close
to a workout as this can lead to indigestion. Some good examples of pre-workout
meals or snacks include: Fruit and oatmeal, rice or quinoa and some chicken,
toast with peanut butter and a banana.

Recovery Nutrition – Don’t be fooled and
think that protein alone is enough to recover from your workouts. I often see
clients mixing just whey protein with water. However, you need some
carbohydrates in your post workout nutrition to repair muscle. After a strength
workout, a ratio of 3:1 or 2:1 grams of carbohydrates to protein is recommended.
Whey protein is a good choice and is a convenient option, such as Infinit Raw.
Whey protein is rapidly digested and absorbed by muscles, and is high in the
branch chained amino acid leucine. 2-3 g of leucine post workout has been shown
in research to stimulate protein synthesis and promote muscle growth. This
amount of leucine is found in a serving of whey protein, chicken or Greek yogurt
that provides 20-25g of protein (to name a few). If your go-to is whey protein
and water post workout, use milk in place of water and add fruit and raw oatmeal
as well.

Balanced Meals - Aim to consume three balanced
meals daily. Avoid skipping meals or backloading all of your calories at the
end of the day. Spacing out your meals allows your body to use the fuel more
efficiently. Include fruits/vegetables, whole grain or starchy vegetables as
well as a serving of protein. An amount of protein to aim for per meal is
~0.25-0.3g/kg body weight.

Energy Dense Snacks - You likely will need
some high calorie, nutrient dense snacks to help you feed your energy needs. These
should contain protein, carbohydrates and fat. Fat is more energy dense and provides
9 calories per gram, whereas carbohydrates and protein provide 4 calories. Some
snack ideas:

½ cup trail mix. It is best to make your
own using a variety of raw nuts and seeds and some dried fruit such as raisins
and dates. A few examples of good choices are: walnuts as they are high in
omega 3, an anti-inflammatory fat that will aid in managing inflammation,
pumpkin seeds as they are a source of zinc and iron, and almonds because they
are a good source of fibre.

Smoothies. Smoothies are a great option for
those who have trouble meeting their calorie needs since they are less filling
than solid meals. Add frozen fruit like bananas and mangos, healthy fats like
nut butter, avocado or whole nuts and carbs like raw oats, cooked beets or
sweet potatoes to help bulk up the smoothie. Use milk in place of water for
more calories and protein.

Peanut butter banana roll up with hemp
seeds. Spread natural nut butter on a large whole grain wrap, sprinkle on 1-2
tbsp of hemp seeds for protein and healthy fats, top with a banana and roll it
up for an easy on the go snack.

By searching for the #30daysofwhey series
on the Infinit Nutrition blog you will find many smoothie, bar and energy bite
recipes.

Pre-bed high protein snack - Whey protein
is recommended post workout because it is quickly absorbed. Casein is another
type of protein that is found in milk and is slow digesting making it better to
eat before bed. A night time snack with casein and some carbs (cottage cheese
is a good source of casein) can help reduce muscle breakdown that happens
overnight. Other high protein foods before bed are still good options, such as
leftover chicken from dinner with crackers or sweet potato, greek yogurt and
fruit, or crackers and cheese.

As you can see from these tips there are a
lot of opportunities and times you should be eating. Your body can only use so
much protein and nutrition at one time so you must be eating throughout the day
regularly. This often takes extra planning and preparation ahead of time. Check
out these meal planning tips from another article I wrote. Try some of them out
so you aren’t left skipping a meal or choosing something to eat that is suboptimal
and unsupportive of your goals.

Andrea Docherty is a Registered Dietitian and Sports Nutritionist and Owner of Andrea Docherty Nutrition in Windsor, ON. To learn more about her and her practice, visit www.andreadochertyrd.com